The stampede of Congressmen from both parties leaving DC because they can't stand the downright vicious bickering and hatred argues that the environment you speak of no longer exists. As does a leading candidate for the GOP Presidential nomination demanding Congressional investigation into Obama for un-American activities just a few years ago. Beating "them" is now officially more important than the countrys well being; that's why Boehner couldn't get a spending cut/tax hike deal that balanced the budget and reduced our debt: Cantor and Co. wouldn't let him. It's also why the only way Obama can get Republicans to agree to any "deal" is to grant all their concessions while getting none in return.
The 'stampede' wasn't particularly big, people do decide from time to time for normal reasons to leave office and you make it sounds like a couple percent of them retiring represents a mass exodus. Of those that did retire, some did for age or health as the primary reason, and mumble on about their golden years and how things used to be with the exact same accuracy as anyone else. A lot of them got out because they knew they had little chance of being re-elected and campaigning is exhausting, particularly if you've an uphill battle, but they'll also be happy to mumble on about 'the way it was' particularly since it gives them an excuse not to admit to themselves and others that they got out before they got kicked out. Times do change though, and I think most of it is simply what I said, spotlight and observer effect.
Now, to the rest, spare me, you just get done talking about how vicious politics has become then launch into a vicious and utterly partisan rant, which is like 90% of your posts. You didn't criticize any Dem up there and when you do criticize one you hammer at them for not being partisan enough, so pot meet kettle.
Likewise, how many bills has Obama passed without giving into all Republican demands in exchange for nothing?
Name one
The TARP that they helped him pass then lambasted him for signing?
TARP, the Troubled Asset Relief Program was signed by Bush about a month before Obama was elected, are you referring to Jan 2009 when a whopping 6 GOP senators voted to grant him access to the 350 bn then remaining in the TARP fund? I'm not sure how voting against giving him that access then criticizing his use of it would be hypocritical.
The carbon copy of the Bush stimulus bill they passed unanimously but pilloried when Obama duplicated it?
Which bill would that be? Because if you're talking about HR1424, 108 GOP voted for it and 91 against in the house, and 15 of the 25 Nay Votes in the senate were from the GOP vs 34 of them for it. That's not exactly unanimous. Now if you're talking about the 'Stimulus', or the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, that was basically the firs tpiece of legislation the new Dem super-majority under Obama went for and 11 Dems and all the GOP voted against it, though three GOP senators voted for it, Snowe, Collins, and Specter right before he jumped ship. Again, I'd really like to know what bill you're talking about.
Do you contend I'm misrepresenting the facts?
Yes, very much so.
That Bachman wanted to investigate Obama for anti-American associations when he was a Senator, or that she's only running 2 or 3 points behind Romney in most GOP presidential polls?
Not that I'm a very big Bachmann fan but I don't see how saying that newspapers should investigate Obama is particularly scandalous, and she has apologized for calling him un-American. I'm not really sure how that stacks up against people calling Bush Hitler all the time but it doesn't strike me as a particularly big deal. How is it relevant to things, unless you're saying that in the good old days no politician ever referred to another as Un-American?
Yeah, I think Republicans are mostly (though not exclusively) in the wrong here, but you tell me:
Your welcome to your opinion, though I do wish you'd save it for when it was actually relevant to the post your replying to.
1) Am I accusing anyone of anything they didn't do?
Well, you seem to have your TARP facts wrong, and I don't really see what Bachmann had to do with anything, so pretty much yes.
2) Am I misrepresenting their actions as anything save what they were?
Clearly you just did... mind you, this would seem rather redundant anyway since it has jack to do with either my original post or the follow up. The first being that hyper-partisanship as a new and excessive thing is not really accurate, and the second being that you were off-topic and very hyper-partisan yourself.
If the shoe fits, wear it, and if you don't like how it chafes that's your fault and not the cobblers for picking the wrong one.
I'm pretty happy with everyone I've voted for, if that's what you're trying to say. And the rest of your commentary is more of the same. If you want to say congress bickers more than they do in the past, go ahead, I've already said I think that's true if exaggerated and why I think that's so... you didn't seem to actually dispute that reasoning though I may have missed it somewhere in your hyper-partisan rant about how hyper-partisan the evil GOP is... which is what the remainder of your post here was so I'll pass on commentary.
I think it's safe to say I'm not in the best frame of mind to respond to political discussions right now (and I'm getting on a plane in three hours anyway) so I'll get back to you when I am. While I'm here I do want to concede I was wrong about them going after Obama for signing TARP, which, of course, he didn't, and that calling the Bush stimulus vote "unanimous" was intentional but not clearly indicated hyperbole (a majority of House Republicans and 2 to 1 Senate Republican majority is a pretty ringing endorsement, but obviously not unanimous).
Honorbound and honored to be Bonded to Mahtaliel Sedai
Last First in wotmania Chat
Slightly better than chocolate.
Love still can't be coerced.
Please Don't Eat the Newbies!
LoL. Be well, RAFOlk.
Last First in wotmania Chat
Slightly better than chocolate.
Love still can't be coerced.
Please Don't Eat the Newbies!
LoL. Be well, RAFOlk.
Reid/Democrats cave, Republicans win debt ceiling debate - 
- 25/07/2011 07:29:17 PM
1023 Views
- 25/07/2011 07:29:17 PM
1023 Views
Why must it always be us against them
- 25/07/2011 08:12:48 PM
534 Views
Two-party system = us vs. them
- 25/07/2011 09:00:31 PM
522 Views
fuck you
- 26/07/2011 03:17:04 AM
594 Views
HA! HA! - I think I broke moondog's mind.....
- 26/07/2011 04:09:59 AM
514 Views
it's not about support, it's about getting *some* of what you want
- 26/07/2011 06:31:26 AM
524 Views
I am only getting "some" of what I want.....
- 26/07/2011 03:01:28 PM
645 Views
when your position is intractable, don't be surprised when people refuse to work with you
- 26/07/2011 03:55:28 PM
513 Views
It generally isn't
- 25/07/2011 09:30:36 PM
557 Views
It formerly wasn't.
- 25/07/2011 10:22:47 PM
590 Views
That's mostly BS
- 26/07/2011 12:57:26 AM
641 Views
Boehner was onboard with Obamas initial deal but cited his caucus as the reason he backed out of it.
- 26/07/2011 01:39:06 AM
720 Views
I'm sorry, did I mention Boehner in my message somewhere? Or the deal?
- 26/07/2011 03:11:40 AM
540 Views
The "rest" you wanted me to spare you.
- 27/07/2011 03:22:54 AM
630 Views
Re: I'm sorry, did I mention Boehner in my message somewhere? Or the deal?
- 29/07/2011 08:26:12 AM
676 Views
Is there some lack of understanding about 'tangent' maybe?
- 30/07/2011 04:57:15 AM
581 Views
Not at all; you stated exactly why I wasn't being tangential.
- 30/07/2011 12:47:08 PM
482 Views
You're making overtly contradictory statements now, so I think we're done
- 31/07/2011 01:57:37 AM
514 Views
It's not just about his reelection. Can you imagine having this circus again next year?
- 25/07/2011 09:16:17 PM
557 Views
or he is worried that with and election coming more dems will break ranks
- 25/07/2011 10:00:56 PM
527 Views
Yeah, pretty much.
- 25/07/2011 10:12:03 PM
729 Views
Reid didn't cave as much as you might think
- 25/07/2011 11:58:08 PM
513 Views
I agree with that.
- 25/07/2011 11:59:41 PM
539 Views
to bad we have a media more interested in hyping the drama than they are in cutting through BS
- 26/07/2011 01:42:39 AM
526 Views
we need a law like they have in canada that you can't lie during a newscast
- 26/07/2011 03:58:38 PM
527 Views
Yeah, but any tax hikes, and any Dem leverage, is gone now.
- 26/07/2011 01:51:04 AM
683 Views
the tax cuts are set to expire on their own, they don't need to vote to cancel them.
- 26/07/2011 02:04:58 PM
462 Views
Yes, but they voted to extend them last winter, which you insist was the Dems fault.
- 27/07/2011 03:30:33 AM
545 Views